I am someone who will be…

I am someone who will be alive for the next 50 to 70 years, far beyond when any policy-makers alive today will be gone. Removing or redesignating protected land in the Greenbelt means that I will have to pay for the consequences of this decision, as well as generations ahead of me. It is a decision I would highly criticize the government for, and one I thoroughly oppose.

The lands within the Greenbelt are irreplaceable - when they are paved over, when they are built upon, it is near-impossible to return it to the way it was. We have already spent so much time paving over so much land as is, having sacrificed so much of our home and native land in the pursuit of mindless development. It is a travesty that so much of our communities are built around the idea that we must have cars, to the point where it is seemingly inconceivable that we can live in anything other than a single-lot detatched house or high-rise condo with parking and roads to connect us to work. Of course people who believe that we cannot live without cars would think that the only solution to our housing problem would be to provide more room for commuters, to give people space for them and their cars.

But there are many other ways to solve the housing crisis that do not involve destroying our natural environment. Amending zoning laws so that people can walk to businesses; building infrastructure so that we can travel longer distances without the need for cars; promoting local communities which currently exist and helping them build for tomorrow. We have to think of better ways of building our homes. We cannot keep destroying our land in this mad, mindless pursuit of believing that we have no other means of housing future generations of Canadians.

I want for there to be protected lands which all Canadians have the opportunity to enjoy. I STRONGLY IMPLORE this government to STOP their plans to remove protections on the Greenbelt. While I do support other protected lands being enshrined, it cannot be used as some mathematical equalization to claim that we have a net neutral amount of land removed versus added to protection status. All land should be protected - we have enough of a climate crisis on our hands as-is without destroying more natural lands that could help mitigate future climate catastrophes. For the consideration of all future Canadians, stop the development of the Greenbelt.